A Time to Grieve

Most of us by now have learned of the horrific crash and lose of life that occurred yesterday on Interstate 70. Involved in the crash was a bus carrying students and staff from a local school district. The loss of a loved one is difficult especially when children are involved. When my Aunt Sharon passed away from cancer I can remember my grandma standing up at her funeral and saying, "parents are not supposed to bury their children".

As we pray for all of the families involved and the grief they are feeling, it is a natural human emotion to be angry at death, search for a reason why or even look for someone or something to blame. There is no "cookie cutter" approach to grieving; all of us handle it differently. Some may take longer than others to process or move forward and that is okay. No one should be told how they ought to feel.

Chapter 3 in the book of Ecclesiastes talks about seasons in our lives. The writer tells us there is a time to weep and a time to mourn. The families of these staff and students find themselves in these moments. Ecclesiastes goes on to talk about other emotions and feelings we will experience in life including when to speak and when to remain silent. Sometimes in the midst of grief, the greatest comfort we can give a friend or loved one is to simply be there for them holding their hand without having to say a word.

Verse 11 says, "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end."

Although we may not ever know why these tragedies happen, we serve a loving God who does and that is where faith steps in...

Pastor Aaron